Graduate Programs

Brazilian Pop Master Marcos Valle Performs at Berklee

By

Liz Lupton

November 20, 2012

Press release

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Marcos Valle performs at the Berklee Performance Center on December 13.

“So Nice (Summer Samba),” the bossa nova hit penned by Marcos Valle, has been recorded by nearly 200 artists, including Diana Krall, Oscar Peterson, and Dizzy Gillespie. On December 13 at the Berklee Performance Center, Valle will perform the chart-topper and other music from his 50-year recording career, which is reaching new audiences thanks to recent reissues out of Japan. A large student ensemble led by Berklee professor and fellow Brazilian Jetro Da Silva will back Valle.

Marcos Valle meets Berklee is part of Berklee’s Signature Music Series. It takes place on Thursday, December 13, 8:15 p.m. at the Berklee Performance Center, 135 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston. Tickets are reserved seating, $8, $16 (advance), and $12, $22 (day of show). Purchase tickets at berkleebpc.com or by calling 617 747-2261, or visit the BPC Box Office. The venue is wheelchair-accessible.

A master of Brazilian pop, Marcos Valle has embraced bossa nova, samba, rock, electronic, and fusion over the past five decades. A renaissance man, the singer-songwriter and producer was named Brazil’s Leading Composer at the age of 19 after writing jazz and bossa nova songs with his brother, Paulo Sérgio. Shortly after, Valle’s popularity grew in his native Brazil and made its way north to the United States, where the infamous “So Nice (Summer Samba)” reached #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966.

In the 1970s, Valle was inspired by the rock ‘n’ roll era (along with other Brazilian artists like Os Mutantes and Gilberto Gil). Moving away from bossa nova and samba, Valle’s music was marked by sounds of groove-heavy bass and funk. In the early 1980s, Valle added electronics to the mix, which was well received. Concurrently, Valle began composing music (often with his brother Paulo) for films and novellas, including the theme to Brazil’s version of Sesame Street.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, Valle’s earlier works experienced resurgent popularity with re-releases of a number of overlooked tracks from the ‘60s and ‘70s and the release of two two-volume series dedicated to his work. From 2003-2008, Valle released three new albums showing increased electronic influence. Valle released Estática in 2010, an album that harkens back to Valle’s bossa nova and samba roots.

Liz Lupton is a publicist at Berklee College of Music. She can be reached at llupton@berklee.edu.